Jeff Bezos seems to be reveling in his new moment of Hollywood-style fame, as he has become better known these days for his love affair with an attractive TV host than for leading Amazon’s march to global domination.
The Amazon founder and world’s richest person has turned up at a number of high-profile, high-powered social gigs since the world learned Jan. 9 — largely through the National Enquirer’s publication of racy text messages — that he was seeing Lauren Sanchez and thus ending his 25-year marriage to his wife, MacKenzie.
On Jan. 26, Bezos, 55, was spotted schmoozing with America’s political and business elite at the annual black-tie Alfafa Club dinner in Washington D.C.
Over Super Bowl weekend, he partied in Atlanta at a pre-game dinner with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. He also was spotted with Philadelphia 76s co-owner Michael Rubin and rappers Meek Mill and Tyga, according to Hotnewhiphop.com, and he watched the game from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s private suite, Page Six added.
But noticeably absent from these glitzy, star-packed social events has been Sanchez, 49.
“Jeff and Lauren haven’t seen each other for 28 days and counting,” a source told Page Six. “Of course, they’re in constant contact, but the palace intrigue exploding behind the scenes has made it extremely difficult for them to see each other.”
Page Six reported last month that the Amazon CEO, who has become an increasingly powerful entertainment mogul, had planned to go public with his romance with Sanchez by bringing her to some big, splashy events in the next month, including the Academy Awards on Feb. 24. But so far that hasn’t happened, perhaps because of the “palace intrigue.”
Bezos has commissioned an internal investigation to uncover how the National Enquirer came into possession of intimate text messages between him and Sanchez.
The intrigue has grown increasingly complicated as the investigation looks into “political motives” and “conspiracy theories” featuring President Donald Trump and people in Trump’s world, including key figures in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Washington Post reported.
Notably, Bezos’ security chief, Gavin de Becker, has concluded that Bezos wasn’t hacked and believes the Enquirer story was meant to embarrass his boss, who also owns the Post and is one of Trump’s top media enemies, added the Daily Beast.
De Becker told the Daily Beast that one subject of the investigation is Michael Sanchez, Lauren’s brother and a pro-Trump Hollywood talent manager who is friendly with Trump supporters and Russia investigation figures Roger Stone and Carter Page.
“We are studying many people who might have been involved in this, and Michael Sanchez is one we’ve spoken with and been looking at,” de Becker said in an interview with the Washington Post.
But Michael Sanchez has denied being the source of the leaks in interviews with the Post and Page Six. However, he said he has learned through multiple people at America Media Inc. — the parent company for the Enquirer — that the supermarket tabloid set out to embarrass Bezos in “a takedown to make Trump happy.”
Michael Sanchez, who said he is his sister’s manager and publicist, insisted that he feels protective her relationship with Bezos. He also told the Post he had socialized with Lauren and Bezos multiple times in their relationship.
Amid all this turmoil, Bezos has kept up his public appearances. But the last time he was seen with Lauren Sanchez was at the Golden Globe Awards, a few days before he announced his divorce on Twitter.
Bezos and his girlfriend didn’t allow themselves to be photographed together at the Jan. 6 ceremony. But observers who saw them at the ceremony or at the Amazon Studios afterparty told Page Six that there was no doubt they were together as a couple.
“They were not hiding their relationship and were very relaxed at the (Golden) Globes,” a source told Page Six last month.
Meanwhile, Sanchez also is in the midst of a divorce of her own, from Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell. Page Six said that Sanchez and Whitesell are still believed to be living together at their Beverly Hills mansion with their children. Sanchez also has spoken to investigators.
Page Six reported that there are people “in the Amazon camp” who would prefer that Bezos didn’t date Sanchez. “Things have gotten rather messy,” the source said.
But the source added that Bezos and Sanchez are still “very much in love” — despite everything that’s going on.
